Crisis hampers rights office opening

Crisis hampers rights office opening

SEMARANG: The economic crisis has hampered the planned
establishment of the Irian Jaya branch of the National Commission
on Human Rights, according to commission member Satjipto
Rahardjo.

Satjipto was quoted by Antara as saying the commission wished
to establish branches in a number of regions in Indonesia as part
of its commitment to the promotion of human rights. So far the
commission has only one branch, in East Timor.

Satjipto said Irianese were unique in that they had yet to
establish a sense of being part of a nation.

When asked whether the plan was due to a high rate of rights
violations in the easternmost province of Indonesia, Satjipto
said: "It's like in East Timor, it has a specific situation. But
whether it's especially vulnerable (to rights violations), all
regions have similar problems."